First Impressions
by Linxcat
Summary: I know loads of people have done their take on Remus and Tonks' first meeting, but this is mine. Set in Marauder era.


Remus Lupin sat quietly on the chair, his legs curled beneath him, amidst the chaos around him. It was the last day of term and everyone was rushing around trying to get packed in time. Remus wasn't concerned; he was already packed. Unlike some people he knew, who hadn't even started…

He was reading a muggle book he had found somewhere (he seemed to remember swiping it off someone to hit Sirius with when he was teasing Peter. Again.). It was fascinating what these muggles could come up with - it was all about a land, an edge of land, in the middle of nowhere. There were floating rocks and flying ships…it was bizarre!

"Hey Remus?"

Remus was so absorbed in the book and his own thoughts that he didn't even register his friend's voice.

"Remus!"

Remus turned the page, marvelling at the intricate pictures that had been drawn by ink pen - ink pen! - without even the aid of magic. He was amazed.

"Moony!"

Remus's ears pricked up at the sound of his nickname. He looked around. It was Sirius, flanked by James. They both burst out laughing as he answered, "Yes?"

"We're going to get our stuff off Peeves - remember when he raided our rooms the other day? - Could you watch something for me?"

"Um, sure." Remus quickly added, "As long as it's not illegal."

Sirius's bark of a laugh echoed around the room, "No, not illegal, Mr prefect!" Sirius edged a small girl forwards. She looked about five, with shoulder-length mousy brown hair. Remus blinked in confusion.

"Who is she?"

"She's my mum's, sister's, daughter's, husband's daughter."

"Your cousin," James supplied. Sirius nodded.

"Exactly. Could you look after her? Andromeda needed someone to baby-sit so she sent Nymphy here up early…"

"Oh, ok. Sure."

"Thanks Moony!" Sirius turned to the girl, "Don't worry, Nymphy, Remus will look after you. He won't bite…" he winked at Remus then he and James scrambled through the portrait hole. Remus was left with 'Nymphy'.

Remus looked down at her. What should he do?

"What's your name?" he asked, smiling friendlily. She blinked.

"Nymph…Nympfadora Tonks." She mumbled. Remus winced. What kind of a parent gave their daughter a name she couldn't even pronounce? She was definitely one of the Blacks.

The teen put down his book. He felt stupidly awkward around the girl - should he invite her to sit down? What did one talk about with a five year old? All the while his mind raced, she gazed up at him with her chocolate-brown eyes…

Chocolate! Of course! Remus pulled a bar of the candy from his pocket and held it out.

"Want some chocolate?"

Nymphadora stared at the bar of chocolate, as if trying to work out if it were real. Then she nodded.

"Yes please," she said softly. Remus opened the wrapper and held it out again. She looked at him, confused. He smiled kindly.

"Go on, take a bite." He encouraged. She took it hesitantly from his grip and nibbled the end. Remus broke a slab off the other end and popped it in his mouth. They both sat there, chewing, in silence. But it was a less awkward silence than before.

Remus finished his mouthful and chuckled. Nymphadora heard him and looked up curiously.

"You've got chocolate all over your face." He told her. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand but it just smudged the chocolate even more. She grinned up at him.

"You've got chocolate on your face too." She giggled. Without warning, she jumped up and poked him, running her finger down his cheek. Remus felt the spot - there was now a large, sticky, brown smudge running the length of his face. He turned to her. He swore she was smirking.

"Right," he murmured, "This means war!" Remus whipped his wand from his pocket and pointed it at her. "Aguamenti!"

Nymphadora squealed as a jet of cold water hit her in the face. She spluttered and wiped her face with her sleeves. When she removed her arms, Remus saw a mini duplicate of himself staring up at him. His jaw dropped.

"How did…?"

"Mummy says I'm a…metamorphmagus." Nymphadora pronounced the last word slowly, remembering what her mother had said. She laughed at the boy's confusion and he saw her hair turn purple. Nymph frowned as she looked at it.

"I can't really control it yet," she admitted. "Mummy says it'll be easier when I'm older."

"So…you can change your appearance with your emotions?" Remus was interested. Nymph shrugged.

"Something like that." Then she cocked her head to one side in curiosity. "What can you do?"

Remus seriously considered telling her about his 'furry little problem'. She was five years old - what could she do if she found out? But he didn't want to scare her. And what if she accidentally blurted it out to someone?

"I…can transform into…an animal." He said carefully. Her dark eyes lit up with intrigue.

"Really? What kind of animal?"

Remus looked around and grinned conspiratorially. "Can you keep a secret?" he whispered. Nymphadora nodded, her eyes wide. He leant down to her.

"I can turn into a wolf. I'm a…shape-shifter." Well, he was a shape-shifter. A werewolf was a shape-shifter, wasn't it? He wasn't going to tell her that though, he didn't want to scare her.

The girl gasped. "Really? That's so cool!"

Remus put a finger to his lips, "But you mustn't tell, ok? It's a secret."

"Ok," Nymph nodded happily. "I won't tell."

He smiled. Then frowned. "Sirius and James are taking a while. Let's go find them." He stood up and held out his hand for her to take. Nymphadora gazed up at him for a few seconds, before slipping her little hand into his.

She managed to get to the portrait hole before stumbling.


End file.
